Fellowship String Quartet Program

Dates

Sunday, June 22 – Sunday, July 27, 2025 (inclusive of travel)

Application Deadline 

February 10, 2025

Requirements 
  • Violin, viola, and cello players ages 18-24 OR currently enrolled at a college, university, or conservatory
  • Pre-formed string quartets are encouraged to apply 

Program Description

The Fellowship String Quartet Program provides intensive study and performance of string chamber music repertoire. Each summer, 16 students are accepted for the five-week Fellowship String Quartet Program and study alongside the 32 students accepted into the three-week Chamber Music for Strings program. Weeks 4-5 of the program are exclusively for the Fellowship students, during which they engage in a specialized curriculum, including studying with the Takács Quartet in week four and collaborating with Jonathan Swartz, Daniel Phillips, Wendy Chen, and Christopher Costanza in week five.

Faculty

Ensembles-In-Residence
Violin Faculty
Viola Faculty
Cello Faculty
Week 5
artist-faculty
Violin
Violin/Viola
Cello
Piano
Violin
Violin/Viola
Cello
Piano

Program Outline 

  • Daily 60-minute chamber music coachin
  • Daily scheduled chamber music rehearsals (2 hours)
  • Weekly 60-minute solo repertoire lessons with strings faculty
  • Weekly 30-minute chamber music repertoire lessons with members of ensembles-in-residence
  • Daily scheduled practice time (2 hours)
  • Weekly public performances (quartets perform 1-2 movements each week) 
  • Weekly master classes with ensemble-in-residence
  • Faculty presentations about quartet rehearsal techniques, 21st century artistic life, and pathways to success
  • Community concert performances and presentations
  • Side-by-side performances with Week 5 Artist-Faculty
  • Free tickets to faculty concerts
  • Weekly live streaming of performances
  • 4K video recordings of performances
  • Daily 60-minute chamber music coachin
  • Daily scheduled chamber music rehearsals (2 hours)
  • Weekly 60-minute solo repertoire lessons with strings faculty
  • Weekly 30-minute chamber music repertoire lessons with members of ensembles-in-residence
  • Daily scheduled practice time (2 hours)
  • Side-by-side performances with Week 5 Artist-Faculty
  • Weekly public performances (quartets perform 1-2 movements each week) 
  • Weekly master classes with ensemble-in-residence
  • Faculty presentations about quartet rehearsal techniques, 21st century artistic life, and pathways to success
  • Community concert performances and presentations
  • Free tickets to faculty concerts
  • Weekly live streaming of performances
  • 4K video recordings of performances

Costs and Financial Aid

Application Fee

Before December 15

  • $75 (individuals)
  • $110 (pre-formed ensemble)

After December 15

  • $125 (individuals)
  • $175 (pre-formed ensemble)

Application fee waivers can be requested directly through Acceptd. Follow this link for instructions on how to submit this request. Applicants who identify as BIPOC can apply for free through Equity Arc’s Common App for Summer Study.

Program fees

$800

Tuition, room and board, and meals are fully funded for all Fellowship String Quartet participants thanks to the generosity of MacPhail donors. Participants are responsible for the cost of transportation to the program. The $800 residential fee is due at the time of acceptance.

Financial Assistance

All participants receive full merit scholarship, covering tuition, room and board, and meals, thanks to the generosity of MacPhail donors.

Individuals wanting consideration for the Chamber Music for Strings program (if not awarded a Fellowship) may request to be considered for need-based financial aid. Financial aid for the Chamber Music for Strings program is granted to students according to their demonstrated financial need. On average, our scholarships generously cover 50% of tuition, room, and board expenses. To be eligible for financial aid, applicants must complete supplementary questions within the Acceptd application and submit relevant tax documents (if applicable).

Before December 15

  • $75 (individuals)
  • $110 (pre-formed ensemble)

After December 15

  • $125 (individuals)
  • $175 (pre-formed ensemble)

Application fee waivers can be requested directly through Acceptd. Follow this link for instructions on how to submit this request. Applicants who identify as BIPOC can apply for free through Equity Arc’s Common App for Summer Study.

$800

Tuition, room and board, and meals are fully funded for all Fellowship String Quartet participants thanks to the generosity of MacPhail donors. Participants are responsible for the cost of transportation to the program.

The $800 residential fee is due at the time of acceptance.

All participants receive full merit scholarship, covering tuition, room and board, and meals, thanks to the generosity of MacPhail donors.

Individuals wanting consideration for the Chamber Music for Strings program (if not awarded a Fellowship) may request to be considered for need-based financial aid. Financial aid for the Chamber Music for Strings program is granted to students according to their demonstrated financial need. On average, our scholarships generously cover 50% of tuition, room, and board expenses. To be eligible for financial aid, applicants must complete supplementary questions within the Acceptd application and submit relevant tax documents (if applicable).

Application Materials

Applications are submitted through Acceptd. Video auditions are required for all applicants and must be uploaded directly to your application prior to the submission deadline.

A letter of recommendation from your current private teacher or chamber music coach is required. You will need to provide your recommender’s email address in the application and we will contact them requesting an electronic letter.

Audition Requirements
Individuals
  • 5-8 minutes of solo repertoire consisting of two works contrasting in style and tempo (representative excerpts of longer movements are accepted)
  • Examples of solo repertoire include unaccompanied Bach, a virtuoso piece, a standard concerto, or sonata
  • Audition recordings may be with or without accompaniment
Audition Requirements
Pre-formed ensembles
  • Two complete movements of works contrasting in style and tempo
  • One work should be from the classical period (Haydn, Mozart, or Beethoven are recommended)
  • Requests for alternative repertoire can be sent to micm@macphail.org for consideration

Individual quartet members interested in individual consideration for admission to the program (if the quartet is not be able to attend as a group) must also submit the individual audition requirements.

Student Life

Madeline Island Chamber Music Student Housing Exterior
Campus

Our campus includes three cottages, which feature shared bathrooms, screened porches, lounges, laundry facilities, and kitchenettes. Rooms are shared between two to three students and equipped with shelving, two wardrobes, air conditioning, and floor board heat.

Madeline Island Chamber Music Student Housing Interior
Housing

Students are assigned to rooms according to age and gender, with a counselor assigned to live and supervise each cottage. These counselors are on-call throughout the summer, assisting with everything from planning and leading recreational activities, administering medication, transporting students, and supporting our concert operations.

Meals

Three meals are provided daily. Food is freshly prepared in the Mary Lange Center’s kitchen and served buffet-style. Dietary needs and food allergies can be accommodated.

Activities

Madeline Island Chamber Music offers various activities, including games and sports, crafts, kayaking and canoeing, hiking, bicycling, swimming, and other activities depending on student interest. None of these activities are mandatory. Madeline Island Chamber Music staff are present during all sponsored activities to promote student safety.

Getting to Madeline Island

Madeline Island Chamber Music offers transportation from the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport (MSP) to Madeline Island. This is a 4.5 hour drive, including a 25 minute ferry ride. Details are communicated upon acceptance to the program. Students and their families can also elect to drive to Madeline Island.

Campus

Our campus includes three cottages, which feature shared bathrooms, screened porches, lounges, laundry facilities, and kitchenettes. Rooms are shared between two to three students and equipped with shelving, two wardrobes, air conditioning, and floor board heat.

Madeline Island Chamber Music Student Housing Exterior
Housing

Students are assigned to rooms according to age and gender, with a counselor assigned to live and supervise each cottage. These counselors are on-call throughout the summer, assisting with everything from planning and leading recreational activities, administering medication, transporting students, and supporting our concert operations.

Madeline Island Chamber Music Student Housing Interior
Meals

Three meals are provided daily. Food is freshly prepared in the Mary Lange Center’s kitchen and served buffet-style. Dietary needs and food allergies can be accommodated.

Activities

Madeline Island Chamber Music offers various activities, including games and sports, crafts, kayaking and canoeing, hiking, bicycling, swimming, and other activities depending on student interest. None of these activities are mandatory. Madeline Island Chamber Music staff are present during all sponsored activities to promote student safety.

Getting to Madeline Island

Madeline Island Chamber Music offers transportation from the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport (MSP) to Madeline Island. This is a 4.5 hour drive, including a 25 minute ferry ride. Details are communicated upon acceptance to the program. Students and their families can also elect to drive to Madeline Island.

Sample Daily Schedule

Includes 2 hours of scheduled individual practice, 2 hours of scheduled chamber music rehearsal, and 1 hour of chamber music coaching

8:00 AM
Breakfast

8:50 AM – 12:10 PM
Rehearsals, coachings, private lessons, or individual practice

12:15 PM – 1:00 PM
Lunch

1:20 PM – 3:30 PM
Rehearsals, coachings, private lessons, or individual practice

3:30 PM – 6:00 PM
Free time

6:00 PM – 6:45 PM
Dinner

7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Faculty presentations, master classes, and performances